Automatic measuring and cutting ply feeder



Jan. 12, 1954 H. D. STEVENS ET AL 2,665,757

AUTOMATIC MEASURING AND CUTTING PLY FEEDER Filed Jan. 7, 1949 7 Sheets-Sheet l 3nventor5 Harm auwns Jan. 12, 1954 H. D. STEVENS ET AL AUTOMATIC MEASURTNG AND CUTTING PLT FEEDER Filed Jan. '7, 1949 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 N VEN TORS n Il Il I! Il www@ Jan. 12,I 1954 H. D. STEVENS ET AL AUTOMATIC MEASURING AND CUTTING PLT FEEDER 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 7. 1949 54ml By i@ Jan. 12, 1954 H. D. STEVENS ETAL AUTOMATIC MEASURING AND CUTTING PLY FEEDER 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 7. 1949 Jan. 12, 1954 H. D. STEVENS ETAL 2,665,757

AUTOMATIC MEASURINGAND CUTTING PLY FEEDER Filed Jan. '7, 1949 7 Sheets--Sl'xeet 5 nd :um n.wrs ar' Jan 12, 1954 H. D. STEVENS ET AL 2,665,757

AUTOMATIC MEASURING ND CUTTING PLY FEEDER f f 1 f l 1 u n.

v 1 I l 1 l I I 1 a a a a- Rracuwne m 'J'Izrbunwakrs Jan. 12, 1954 H. D. STEVENS ET AL AUTOMATIC MEASURTNG AND CUTTING PLY FEEDER Filed Jan. 7, 1949 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 5. Y mm E mwndm mumvm vJbmoajl Herbert??? Patented Jan. 12, 1954 AUTOMATIC MEASURING AND CUTTING PLY FEEDER Horace D. Stevens and Herbert H. Waters, Akron, Ohio, assignors to The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 7, 1949, Serial No. 69,704

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to a machine which may conveniently be usedin connection with a tirebuilding machine, and which facilitates the supply of ply lengths ofrubberized cord fabric for the tire-building process by feeding ply material as desired and automatically measuring and cutting ply sections in the exact lengths required for each step of the tire-building operation and with the appropriate orientation of cords within the plys. While the machine and method herein described are primarily intended for cutting strips of cross-cut cord tire fabric into lengths suitable for tire building, it may have other utilities as Well. Y

Heretofore the preparation of ply-lengths has constituted a serious factor in the delays incident to tire-building since prior methods have involved manual attention on the part of the operator to attain the necessary'lengths. For instance, it has been customary tofurnish the operator with two rolls of ply sheet having, respectively, oppositely disposed cord angles. From these rolls the operator tears oil the estimated ply length required, applies it to the tire-building drum and then tears off the excess length. This results not only in lost time .but considerable waste of material.

In attempts to achieve automatic ply-cutting, the obstacles have chieiiy been found in the difculty of attaining sequentially varying lengths and in providing alternating cord angles. It has been found also that separation by means of a sharp-edged knife leaves much to be desired in that, unless it were exactly aligned in the cord direction and the sheet firmly held in flat condition, there is likelihood-of a non-linear cut, with the knife even cutting through the cords. Furthermore, a sweep of a` single knife from one edge to the other of the sheet is uncertain in operation and not conducive to accurate linear slitting since there is a tendency to pull the sheet as a whole in the direction of motion of the knife, and the initial tear requires a sharp knife edge presented laterally to an edge ofthe ply. All of the above diiiiculties are overcome by the method and machine of this invention wherein a pair of knives pierce the sheet centrally and then diverge to slit the sheet with dull edges. A pair of trays are provided to accommodate sheets of opposite cord angles and cutting to length in sequence is provided for by limit switches arranged in a novel manner and operating in a novel arrangement of l circuits.

and cutting of ply sections, a further object be.-` ing to provide a machine in which ply sections are cut in cycles involving a sequence of increasing lengths, and especially wherein the length sequence involves sections having alternatedirections of cord angle. It is also an object to pro` vide an improved method and means for the slitting operation itself.

These and other ends, which will be in part apparent and in part made manifest as the description proceeds, are attained by the invention, a preferred embodiment of which is described in the accompanying specication and illustrated in the drawings, in which.

Fig. l is aside view of the assembled machine,

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the upper plyconveyor tray and knife carriage,

Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 2, with the drive motor and its mounting removed,

Fig. 3a is a view taken on the line 3cr-3a of Fig. 3,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the knife assembly, enlarged, showing a portion of the tray,

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of Fig. 4,

Fig. 5a is an enlarged detail of elements on the tray, centrally of the knife carriage,

Fig. 5b is a section taken on the line 5b-5b of Fig. 5a,

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the knife assembly in upwardly swung position, prior to cutting,

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 with the knife carriage lowered and the knives in the process of separating the ply section,

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of the knives,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged end view of the knife carriage from the swinging end thereof, the leftward General description Referring to Fig. l, there is shown generally at l, a base frame having a pair of rails 2 40n which are supported the entire ply-handling apparatus for rolling movement into and out of alignment with a tire-building drum I5, by means of a suitable number of flanged wheels 'such as 3 and 4. The wheels are journaled in fork members 6 attached to a central, main frame or cage, indicated generally by the numeral 1, to the rear of which upper and lower tray assemblies 8 and 9, respectively, are pive oted on axes' Il and l2. Two tray assemblies are provided in each frame 1 to furnish alternate diagonale of cord in successive ply lengths. While only one frame 1 is shown, it will be un'- derstood that two or more may be provided in the case where more ply lengths are required in the building of a tire or where the plys em ployed are of different widths. The tray assemblies are joined together near their front' ends by means of a freely pivoted pair of links i3 which maintains their relative positions` at all times in the semblance of an acute angle with the delivery (leftward) ends of the tray members relatively close together. It will be seen Y shafts are provided with brakes 55.

that axes l l, I2 and the pivots of links l3 de-v ne a quadrilateral swingable about the pair of xed points Il, l2. swing ofthe pair of trays is for Ythe purpose of affording clearance at the tire-building druml5` for lfeeding operations to the drum of materialsrother than the plys, by mechanism not shown in this application. The rotation is effected by a lifting device comprising an air cyl inder I4 pivoted to the main cage 1 as at I6, having a piston rod l1 with its lower end engaging centrally of a cross bar IB, which in turn is pivoted at each end to a bracket I 9 bolted to the sides of the tray 8. stop for the tray assemblies is provided at each side of the lower tray by a block 2l carried by an angle bar 22 fixed to the front of frame 1. Each block is secured to an angle bar 22 by screws 23 and the block. is vertically adjustable `by means of vertical slots 24 in the angle bar 22.

Knife units 3| 32 carried, respectively, by tray assemblies 8, 9 are located for sliding motion of the knives along a line directedk angularly to the longitudinal extent of the trays and parallel to the corddirection of the ply, this direction being reversed as between the upper andV lower trayy assemblies, as will be clear from the orientation of knife units 3l, 32, respectively, in Fig. 1. The knives, shown in back-to-back pairs at 33, 34, are movable in opposed directions to and from the center or other intermediate point of the ply sheet along rails 3&5, 31. The knife units, as a whole, are swingable upward about pivots 3S, 38 on the near ends of the units so as to clear the sheet on return of the knives to center.

Upper tray 8 carries nearV its end adjacent the tire-building drum l5, a pair o'f limit switches 4l, 42 carried by a channel 43 athwart the tray, the twoy switches being staggered longitudinally of the tray so as to stop the ply sheet in positions for ply lengths of increasing value alternately, as will be made apparent in greater detail hereinafter. Lower tray 9 has a similar pair of switches 46, 41 carried by channel 48.

Ther entire cage 1 is movable along the tracks 2 by means of a pair of air cylinders 5l, 52 arranged in tandem in a known manner to move the assembly away from the tire-building drum or to align any of a group of separate vertical banks of pairs of trays, when a plurality of such banks is employed.

A supply unit designedY to hold a vertical bank of two rolls-53 of liner-covered ply material is The provision for upward An adjustable lower generalized in Figs. 6 andl.

indicated generally at 56. The rolls are supported in hooks 54 of brackets 54' and the roll The entire unit is separate from the cage 1 and is supported thereon by hooks 51 engaging over crossrpieces 58 carried between double parallel Walls of rearwardly extending brackets. 59. at the top of cage 1, the outer wall being flared at its end to provide a ready guide for the upright members I6l of unit 56 in hooking the latter in place. The horizontal thrust of the unit 5S against the cage 1 is taken by bars 62 acting against uprights 63 of cage 1 and having adjusting screws 64.

lSince the mechanism of supply rolls 53 and their respective tray assemblies is identical in each case, only one set need be described. From theA upper roll 53 the combined ply and liner sheet passes over a roll 66 (see Fig. 2) and there divides, the ply B1 passing under a compensator roller 68 and thence over a coaxial set of roller segments 69 on a shaftV 10 journaled in the' tray frameV 8. sheets along the trays is furnished by motorsf 84 carried by the framework of cage 1 and driv#F ing the shaft 10 of the series of' aligned rolls 68 and a chain conveyor, as will appear. The shaft of the compensating roller carries at its ends 'a` pair of skates 1| guided for vertical movement in an angle bar 12 fixed to the inner side Vof the` upright El.

The shaft of compensating roller 68, which roller may also be described as a feeder control, regulates the output from supply'V roll 53 as demanded by feed along the tray caused by motor 84 in a manner well understood in thev art. With motor 84- at rest, the shaft of roller B8 rests on the lever of a yswitch 14 to close the same and motor 11 is deenergized. Wheny motor 84 is running the feed of the ply along the tray tends to take up the slack at roller 68, the latter is lifted, motor 11l starts and material is fed from roll 53.' This lowersV roll 68 to operate switch 14 and motor 11 stops. The action is thus intermittent. 'Since there will be some tendency of the supply roll 53 to coast after motor 84 is stopped, a pan 15, extending between uprights 6|, serves to receive the ply material which drops from the compensator' roller-68.

The. liner material 61 after separating from' the ply material at roller 6B is led over a roller 13 and wound onto a roll driven by the shaft`14 of the reduction gear 16 of the motor 11; A kick roll 18 with vanes 19 is provided to prevent any tendency of the ply material to follow' the liner by adherence thereto. The kick"v roll is driven by a chain 8! engaging a sprocket wheel 82 keyed to the shaft ofthe roller B6 and chain tightening is provided for in an adjustable sprocket wheel 83.

The knife assemblyv For details of the knife assembly, reference is had to Figs. 4 to 13, the structural features being nallyv and angularly of the tray, as will be later pointed out herein. Anchorage for the knife carriage is provided in a block 92 fixed. atene end The main drive forl urging the plyA A pair of plates 86,v

of the ramp plates and carrying the pivot 36 on which is swivelled a forked block 93 to which the ends of the rails 36 are attached as by bolts.- The knife elements 33 are moved to and from a location intermediate the width of the ply sheet by means of two oppositelyacting air cylinders 94 attachd to the respective rails 36, and the knife carriage is swung upwards about pivot 38 by means of a helical spring 96 at the end of an out- Ward movement of the knives, to strip the ply from the knives and to provide clearance for feed of the next length of ply. The outward limit of motion of the knives is determined by contacts 91 movable with the knives and engaging with limit switches 98 which cause stoppage of the knives and initiate lifting of the `carriage and return of the knives to original position intermediate the sheet. A limit switch 99 so controls cylinders 94 as to cause outward movement of the knives on descent of the knife carriage and inward movement on rise of the knife carriage. A central block |00, bolted between the vrails 36, serves to house the ply stripping mechanism and, additionally, lends rigidity to the rails 36 and provides a center support for the piston rods |0| of the air cylinders 94.

The knife supports are shown in detail in Fig. 8. In this view the stripper block |00 is omitted except for the pressure feet thereof, `|05. The knives 33 are bolted to blocks shown generally at |02. These blocks are identical in the case of each knife except for a transposition of parts to provide for right and left hand installations. Each knife is bolted to an arm |03 which is joined, through a tapering web |04, to a wider and longer arm |06, parallel to arm |03 and having a rectangular slot |01 snugly receiving the rail 36 for sliding motion therealong, the arm |06 being held in place on the rail by a cap plate |08 to which the limit switch actuating member 91 is attached. It will be noted that the knife 33 extends somewhat inwardly of the arm |03 in order that Contact may be made with the inner edge of its companion knife within a slot |09 in the stripper block |00 (see Figs. 12 and 13). The knives have a straight inner edge and are tapered as at ||2 to a vertical edge ||3 and from thence taper as at ||4 to a point. The edge ||4 is sharpened and is intended to effect initial penetration of the ply sheet by cutting; thereafter the edge ||3, which is blunt, effects separation of the ply section from the main sheet by a tearing action in the rubber between a pair of cords I5.

The stripper block and the general relation of the knives thereto are shown in Fig. L12, and the stripper mechanism is detailed in Fig; 13. The stripper block comprises a plate boltedv as at ||6 to rails 36, and with sides ||1 taperinginwardly from the bottom of the rails to a narrow bottom edge 6. The block has circular openings ||9 on each side of `center to accommodate piston rods |0| of the air cylinders 94 for sliding motion. A latch |22, carried on top of the block |00, is arranged for swinging motion horizontally on a pivot |23 threadedly secured in the'top of the block |00. The latch is urged to a position in substantial alignment with the top edge o f the block |00 by means of a leaf spring |2| secured to the block byscrews |2|'. The latch |22Pthreadedly carries a screw |24 which extends from one side to the other of the latch and is lockedgiin adjusted position by a nut |24'. Under the urging of the spring, the latch is engageable under an exten-` sion |25 on one end of a block |26 located at the top of the stripper mechanism, but is removable therefrom against the pressure of spring |2| when the screw |24 is contacted by the leftward knife block |02 (Fig. 4) when the knives are in the position centrally of the knife frame. The shouldered portion |25 defined by extension |25 is wider at the bottom than at the top so as to give a quick, snap-like action when the latch is removed from under the extension.

An identical stripper mechanism is located on each side of the center line of block |00. Referring to Fig. 13, it will be seen that the block |26 is movable up and down with respect to the stripper housing block |00'by virtue of a long bolt |21 threaded in the block |26, slidable in a bore in the block |00, and which xedly carries at its lower end the pressure foot |05. A second rod |28 is slidable in the block |00 and. through an opening |29 in the presser foot |05. Rod |28 has its major upper portion reduced in diameter, as at |3|, and has a pair of adjusting and locking nuts |32 threaded on its upper end. The rod |28 is pressed downwardly by a helical spring |33 surrounding its reduced portion |3| and contained between the shoulder on the rod and a nipple |34 threaded in the upper end of thel openingin block |00. A spacer tube |36 is freely slidable on a reduced portion |3| above nipple |34 in an opening |31 in block |26.

The operation of the stripper mechanism is as follows: As the knife block moves away from screw |24, the latch |22 moves under the block |26 under pressure of spring |2|. When the knife carriage is swung upwardly at the outer limit of the knife stroke the latch liftsthe freely suspended system comprising block |26, rod |21 and presser foot |05. However, due to the urging of spring |33, the rod |28 remains in contact with ply material 61 and prevents `it from rising with the knife carriage due to possible adherence to presser foot |05. Spacer |36 is carried upwardly by nipple |34 and, when it reachesl nut |32, rod |26 is lifted. When the knife is returned to center, with the knife carriage still in upswung position, the knife removes latch |22* from under block |26, permitting the latter and its fixed parts to fall of their own `weight to cause presser foot |05 to remove ply material from rod |28 in case it has adhered thereto. i

Details of the mechanism for raising and lowering the knife carriage are shown in Figs. 9, 10, and l1.` A forked member |31 has its underside slanted as at |38 and |39 to mate with the slanted sides 88, 89 of plates 86, 816, respectively. The base of the forked member is bolted as at |4| to the plates 86, 81 and its tines |42 extend to the end of the plates and surround the upper end of the knife-carriage-lowering air cylinder assembly shown generally at |43. The latter carries a cap plate |44 secured by a large nut |46, the plate' having a pair of opposed shafts |41 trunnioned in blocks |48 bolted to the tops of tines |42, whereby the air cylinder is tiltable about the axis of shafts |41. The piston rod |49 of the air cylinder is studded into a block |50 which is located in a slot |52 in a cross head |53 bolted to the ends of rails 36, this block 50 being swivelled upon a shaft |5|, located in the cross head |53 and extending across the slot |52.` In the upward swing of the rails 36, air cylinder |43 turns on pivot |41 and block |50 turns onshaft |5| as shown in Fig. l1. The raising of the knife carriage is occasioned by the helical spring 96 engaging between the top surface of forked member 7. I3?!r anda plate-` |5|lbolted to the top ofV block |53, the. spring being reinforced by a central: rod |51 attached to*l the plate |56v and reciprocable. in a slot |58 (see Fig. 4") in the` base of the forked member |31.

l The tray The entire knife carriagev assembly is supported (Figs. 2` to 5) on a long tray |58 having downturned side iiangesv |59 tapering from a shallow, front portion to a wide, rear portion, the tray structure being reinforced by-cross channel braces |6|L The channel 43 spaced above the tray, as byl upright straps |63 secured to the sides of the tray, servesk to support the limit switches 4|, 42, the contact rollers of which dwell upon the upper tray surface and are actuated when lifted by the plyI sheet advancing along the tray.

Y The'knife carriage assembly is attached to the tray in a manner to permit longitudinal and angularA adjustment as follows: Bolted centrally ofthe knife-guide plates 86, 81 is a joining member |64, generally similar to` plates 68, which serves as a rotating anchor means for the guide plates and as a connection with a means for locking the knife carriage in adjusted longitudinal position. The plate |64 has a lower central bore |66' and an upper counterbore |61 receiving the stepped head of a bolt |68. The latter is screw threaded in a central bore in a plate |69 fitted in a trough |1| having a central slot to permit passage of: the bolt lengthwise of the trough. It will be seen that pressure applied by means of the wing nut |12 clamps the slide plate |66 to the bottom of" trough |-1|' byA virtue of the threaded engagementA of the bolt therewith, but leaves plate |64, and hence the entire knife carriage, free to rotate'about-theheadof bolt |68. It will be noted that plates 9|!v and plate |64 serve to space the plates 86, 81 above the tray. The knife carriage is xed in desired angular position by means ofv a bolt |13 studded in the underside of guide plate 81 and engaging in a slot |114. (Fig. 2) in a guide rod |16 pivoted as at |11 to a bracket |18? attached tothe side flange of tray |58, the boltA |13 being fixed at the desired angular position' by means of a wing nut |19. In this arrangement the bolts |68, |13 and the pivot |11 define a triangle which ensures rigidity of the knife carriager in angular position, andthe bolt |68 further ensures fixation of the carriage in a givenpositionlongitudinally of the tray.

The spacing ofV the knife guide plates 86, 81 abovel the tray by plates 98 and plate |64 provides clearance for a parallel series of four endless chainseach indicated by the numeral |8| which serve to convey theply sheet along the tray. The chains are driven by sprocket wheels |82 driven by the shaft 8`3'of motor 84, the shaft being supported in brackets |84l attached to uprights 63 on the cage 1, and also'supported in a series of brackets |86 attached'to the rear side of the tray framework. At the front end kof the tray, the chains pass over sprocket wheels |81 carried on a shaft |88 journaled in brackets |89 on the sides' of the tray. Shaft |88 is also supported inter- Amediately by brackets |9| on the front edge of the tray and carries roller segments |92. The returning, lower sides of the chains are supported oni rollers |93 and tension-adjusting rollers |94 adjustable in vertical slots |96 in angle plates |91 fixedv tothe rearmost` cross-bracing channel |6l. Suitableopenings |68 in channel membersV |6| provide for passage of the chains therethrough.

'Angle-bar guide members |88, |99, 288, 20| are' xable various positions laterally of the tray 8. l56 by means of bolts with wing nuts 282i'and slots 283 transversely of theY tray, andthe respective aligned pairs of guide members are spaced longitudinally to provide clearance for swing of the knife carriage about central pivot |68.

In order to prevent fold-under and other malfunctioning of the leading corners oftheply sheet, adjutable conveyors are provided to carry the side edges of a sheet of any width by: means` ofk endless tapes 284 trained over the end segments of rollers 69 and |92 in a manner free for adjustment axially of the rolls so as to be positionable at or near thek plyV guides Hi8-281|. As shown in Fig. 3a, a guide means is provided to maintain each tape 284 in position laterally of the tray. This comprises a fork-shapedY rider 285 slidable on a rod. 286 which is supported in a pair of brackets 281 fastened to the underside of the tray. The tape slides around the rodi 286 and is held in. position by the'two ends of the rider, the latter being locked in adjusted position by means of' a thumb screw 285.

In the feeding of ply sheet onto plate 81 ofthe knife assembly, the vertical spacing of the plate above the tray |58 presents an obstacle to feeding of the sheet. To provide certainty in the feeding of the sheet, therefore, guide ramps 288 (Fig. 4) are fixed to the slant face of plate 81 in any convenient manner. These will preferably have a lozenge form to provide edges parallel to the cut edge of the sheet and edges parallel tothe direction of travel of the sheet. The angles of these plates may constitute a mean value between the expected limits of angular adjustment of the' knife carriage. Outwardly of the three guideI ramps shown, a pair of laterally movable ramps 289 is provided for adjustable positioning at the edges of a sheet with the ramp supports outward of the sheet. Each of these ramps is fixed` on its underside to a foot 2|| aligned with the knife carriage, and which has a right-angled extension 2| l on the end of which is mounted an upright 2|2 at the top of which a rider 2| 3 is screw-` fastened. The rider has Aa slot in its underside by means of which it is slidable along a rail 2 I4 and is lockable in position by a thumb screw 2 I 6. The rail 2|4 is screw-fastened to L-shaped supports 2|1, the feet of this support at the swing' able end of the carriage being secured to plate 81v in a common fastening, by bolts |4|, with the. forked member |31 (Fig. 10), and at the other end to a bracket 2|5 carried by pivot block. 92 (Fig. 5).

General description of operation In the building of a tire, four-ply for-instance.'

each ply section must be slightly longer' than' the preceding section to allow for increasing di-' ameter' of the tire during the building process.v

Likewise, each succeeding ply wrapped onto the tire must have its Vcords angularly disposed with respect to the preceding ply. To this end', the' upper and lower trays, together with their re spective associated knife assemblies, etc., operate alternately. At the end of any cycle of automatic operation, the machine is at rest with the knife carriage in upwardly swung position, and each tray bears between the knife carriage and one of their pairs of limit switches 4|, 42 and start the ply sheet feeding along the tray andthe liner winding on itsroll. The ply sheet advances 1 until itY meets the other of the pair of limit switches to denne a ply section of greater or less length than the preceding section, as the case may be, and the motors are stopped and the .supply rollbraked to a stop. The knife carriage `then swings donward piercing the sheet at its center with the pair of knivesin back-to-back contact 'and clamping the sheetlwith the presser feet of the stripper. f

Descent of the knife 'carriages operates t a switch which causes the knives to recede from .the center, separating the ply sheet along a line `between an adjacent pair of cords. At the outward limit of travel of the knives, the latter operate a.` limit switch whiclrshuts` oil pressure to cylinder |43 and permits Vspringf9|5 to swing the knifecarriage upwardly, and the knives return to back-to-back position centrally of the carriage. This completes the `cycle for a single tray, a repetition of the foregoing automatic operations being initiable by the-` mere act of removal of the cut ply sections.

However, since alternate cord angles are desired, the operator will take the next ply section from the other tray. The ply-length setting of limit switches 4I 42, 46, 41 will therefore be predicated on this shaft from tray to tray; for instance, succeeding lengths will be determined by a cycle of operation triggered by limit switches 4|, 46, 42. 41, in that order.

Detailed description of electric controls The foregoing brief description of automatic and cyclic operation will now be detailed in connection with the wiring diagram shown in Fig. 14.

In this connection, a description for a single tray will be sufcient since the operation is identical in the case of each.

In the gure, the automatic controls comprise a series of interconnecting circuits involving a series of switch units indicated by the reference characters 2I8 to 225, inclusive. Each of these switch units, shown as relays, is connectable across the main line either directly or through one or more of the others and each controls one or more switches. Units 2I8 and 2I9 are associated with ply-length determining limit switches 4| and 42, respectively. While these are shown in the diagram as simple switches, it will be understood that much more sensitive controls will be required. Functionally, however, the switches serve to energize units 2I8 and 2I9, and they are thus shown. The unit 220 is associated with the conveyor motor, and starts the same when energized. Unit 22 I, when energized, brakes the supply roll to a stop. Unit 222 serves to set the knife operations in motion with the assistance of unit 223, and units 224 and 225 function in the ply-length alternations in conjunction with units 2 I8, 2 I 9.

The control for lowering the knife carriage to clamping position (by air cylinder |43) is indicated by 226, and that for causing recession of the knives (by air cylinders 94) by 221. Limit switches 98 for outward limit of knife movement and limit switch 99 for outward movement of the knives are indicated by their proper reference characters in the wiring diagram.

The switches associated with the respective relays 2 I6 to 225 will be indicated by small letters reading from left to right, each to be identified with the reference character of its relay.

A self-sealing switch 226 is operated by a push button 229 and serves to energize the control circuit. Unit 223 is energized independently of the control circuit through closed switch 222d 'and is sealed in through switch 223e and thus is sustained only during the closed condition of limit switches 98.v Switch 230 is thrown to close contact in automatic position.

With no ply material contacting limit switch 4|, unit 2|8 is cle-energized and motor unit 220 is energized through line 23|, switch 22Ia, line 232, switch .2I8a, line 2233, and switch' 2256. When the ply sheet reaches switch 4I, `unit 2I8 is energized, the contact with line 232 is broken and the motor stops.` The stopping of the motor restores the contact.. 220b and energizes unit 222 through line 234, switch 220b, line 235, switch 2I8a, and line 233. Unit 22| is therefore energized through line 236 and a `transient circuit line 231 contacting an instant closing switch 222d and a delayed opening switch 22217, -line 235,

switch 2I8a, line 233, andl switch 2251), and the supply roll is brakedto a stop. Unit 226 is then energized `to drop the knife carriage, through switch 223a, line 238, a delayed closing contact 222e, line 235, etc. Upon full descent of the knife carriage limit switch 99 energizes unit 221 through switch 223D to cause the knives to move in opposite directions from an intermediate point between the edges of the sheet. At the limit of such outward movement, limit switches 98 are contacted to open, and 223, no longer energized through 222d, is de-energized; switches 223 a, b, and c open, 226 and 221 are de-energized, the knife carriage is raised by pressure of spring 96 and the knives return to a central position.

The machine is now at rest with 2I9 still deenergized, 222 still energized, and with 224, which was energized in the closing of switch 22Ib through line 239, switch 225a, and line 240, sealed in through switch 224a and lines 24| and 240. It should be noted that 225 did not energize in this cycle for the reason that switch 22412 closed only after the opening of switch 22Ua.

Upon removal of the cut ply from the tray, unit 2| 8 is de-energized, and 220 energized to start the motor in the same manner` as before. Unit 222 is de-energized by the opening of switch 220i) and 223 is again energized and sealed in, as before.

In this second cycle, unit 224 being energized, unit 225 is energized through line 242, switch 2241), line 243 and switch 22011 and seals in through switch 225a and line 244. At the same time unit 224 is de-energized both at 22511 and 22Ib in readiness for the repetition of the rst cycle.

Subsequent automatic operations are the same as in the rst cycle, the circuits to switch 2251 leading through 2I9a instead of 2I6a, and proceeding through a line 245. In the second lcycle the ply sheet proceeds to switch 42 before stopping the motor because the circuit to line 233 is open at 22 5b.

A short cut may be made in any cycle as desired by opening the line 246, as by a push button normally closed. This will cut out 224 and 225 and leave switch 22517 closing the circuits to line 233. A long cut may be made at any time by connecting 224 across the line which can also be accomplished by a push button, normally open. Energization of 224 will in each case lead to sealing in of 225 during operation of the motor and thus direct the circuits at 2251 into line 245.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown, it will be apparent that changes may be made in such details as the size,

shape, arrangement and character or the various elements and, therefore, the invention should not be considered as limited except as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the Vappended claim.

What is claimed is: A

In a, machine for cutting sheet material on the bias, in combination, a xed tray, means for delivering sheetvmaterial along the tray, a knife carriage supported on the tray and having' a knife arranged for movement angularly to the longitudinal extent of the tray, a pair of limit switches engageable by the sheet material to stop the-sheet delivering means and said switches located at different distances from said knife carriage, and `means to render said switches operative alternately.

HoRACi:k D. STEVENS. HERBERT H. WATERS.

References Cited in Ythe yille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 4Number Name Date j Y Stevens et al. Feb. 28, `1922 Reed Nov. 2j1, 1922 vSibley Oct. 2, 1923 Lund Feb. 2G, `'1924 Levin July 2 1, '1925 Biersdorf May 18, k1926 Messinger May `24, 19732 Abbott Dec. '12, 1933 Wennberg et al. Feb. 16, 1937 Stone June 11, 19540 Hazelton July `6, ,1943 Davis Oct. 2f3, 1945 HallmanV July 8, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Nov. 25, .-1908 

